Final Fantasy games for New Players?

[dommyuk]

Basically any of the GBA games. Those are the best Final Fantasy games in my opinion. You can either get them off Ebay, Amazon, or just download them online with an emulator buy them through completely legitimate and legal means.

If you want a 3D version, I would suggest either VII, IX, or X. FFX does go through a few of the negative stereotypes of JRPGs, but it more than makes up for them, in my opinion.

EDIT: Was I the only one who hated the DS remake of FFIV? A lot of the people are suggesting it, and I just found it to be a rehashing of FFIV with a few unneeded extras that really didn't add to the game at all... Oh well, it's all subjective, I guess

Did you ever play FFIV Advance? It had a bunch of horrible visual glitches and the DS version made up for that and added voice acting and arguably better graphics.

OT: I started with X and although it's a little bit complex with the Sphere Grid, you get used to it quickly. Since X I've played every FF game produced including spin offs, unless they're WiiWare or made before VII and I'd say X is the best to start with, or maybe VII if you can handle the bad translation.

 

[Nemu]

Start with the same one most everyone else did: VII.

Most people...in your age group. lol


OP: Personally, I'd suggest that you grab FF Anthology if you have a PS1 or 2. It has one of the BEST FF games out there-- FF VI (released in the US as FF 3 for SNES) plus FF V (not previously released in the US). It's true that FFVII is one of the most popular games out of the series, but it's not necessarily the "best", but it isn't a bad one to try since it starts to evolve the series and, thus, might get you used to the newer mechanics more than the SNES/NES games might.

I'd also suggest you try Final Fantasy Tactics--which is a strategy game, rather than an RPG, but awesome none-the-less.

 

[NoElixir]

Begin with Final Fantasy IX as it's much more friendly regarding the plot. Most will argue that the late and early SNES/PS1 titles are fairly deep.

I thought IX was favorable and carried much lighter themes than the past. Start with it and you'll enjoy the Art Style and Chocobo Hot and Cold mini-game.

 

[Miumaru]

I recommend either the first 2 (which you can get for the GBA or PS1 in a combo pack) which are pretty much basic RPG and get you used to the FF universe, FF4 which is pretty dang easy to find for whatever system you want it for, and FF10 since it has a great long story, customization, and the last Final Fantasy game to use a good battle system... (I also heard FF9 is pretty good)

The combo one was my first FF game and I hated it. the weapon degrade system was a pain and I eventually got stuck where I could never win.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

10 is good to start. Minus the whole...laughing scene.

Simple, fast paced combat. And one of the best plots.

 

[tehweave]

I would suggest one of the following as a starting point:

Play FF1 (if you like old-school games) for either the NES or you can download it on the Wii. As an 8-bit game, it still lives up pretty darn well.
If you want updated graphics and such, feel free to buy either "origins" for the PS1 or FF1 for the Gameboy Advance.
Once you beat FF1 if you played the 8-bit version buy an SNES and a copy of FF2 and FF3.
If you played the updated graphics version, buy FF2 for GBA and then the 3D version of FF3 for DS.

Play FF4. There are several versions. You can get a copy of it with chrono trigger for the PS1, you can get a copy of it for the Gameboy Advance or you can get a 3D remake for the DS. (I reccomend the GBA version.) If you played the PS1 version, try final fantasy Anthology with FF5 and FF6 after beating FF4.

Play FF7. Frankly, the graphics suck, but it still is one of the most fun games you'll ever play. You'll need either a PS1 and a difficult-to-find hardcopy of the game, or a PS3 and can download it online. Once you beat FF7 then you can play EITHER FF8 or FF9 but NOT BOTH. You must pick one for you see, there's a small war between which is better. And playing one will affect your opinion of the other.

Play FF10. You'll need a PS2 or a PS3 with backwards compatibility. IMO next to materia, FF10 has the best leveling system in gaming. The sphere grid is really fun to use and level up. After beating FF10 you can try and play FF12, but most people don't like it. If you have a PS3, after beating FF10 you can try FF13 to see if you enjoy it.

Once you've played one of the above games you can then understand how they work and try one of these: FF11 (for PC), FF Tactics (for PS1), FF Tactics Advance (for GBA), FF Crystal Chronicles (for Gamecube, but it kind of sucks), FF Tactics (for PSP), or FF Tactics A2 (for DS).

 

[YouBecame]

My first one was FF7. It was an OK start to the series, but the intricacies to Materia weren't apparent until quite a way through the game, for me.

My favourite is FF6. In terms of story, having an AWESOME bad guy and making you care about the player characters and world around you, it's phenomenal. Also the Esper system seemed quite intuitive to me.

A very easy one to get into is FF9. The abilities system makes sense, there is a question mark that pops up when you're next to something you can use, and I liked the story. It's also quite easy, so good for starters.

 

[Rock Beefchest]

FF 6, 7, 8 are all very good games. If you want a good idea of final fantasy from a multigenerational viewpoint those games are probably the best.

 

[Erana]

Personally, I can reccomend FF9. It's a straightforward JRPG that doesn't mess around with the formula too much and is a solid introduction to the genre. The only complaint I have is the final boss, but that's a minor thing...

Yes. If I had to recommend one Final Fantasy game to introduce someone to the entire series, it would be this.
Final Fantasy nine harks back to the kind of world used in the first five games, with the pseudo-medieval-ness, combat system 'n what not. Some people rank it high on their list of favorite FFs, others rank it a bit lower, but never have I seen anyone say its one of the worst of the series; you're getting a good game.
The thing is, no matter how much you try, you will compare any Final Fantasy game you play to whatever the first one you played was. This is why there are so many people out there who had FF7 as their first game evar, proclaimed it the best game evar, and completely reject the six previous games in the series. (Not saying its a bad game, but it does have a fanbase that irks me more than Halo fanboys. Also, I have a personal vendetta towards it because my disc was error'd and drove me nuts. Lets just say I reached +40 before I was allowed to get Cid by that terrible, cruel game.)
All final fantasy games are very well-developed products, but FF7 represented a huge paradigm shift in the series from medieval empires and fantasy worlds, to future distopias, corporations, and skimpy, skimpy outfits. FF6 dabbled in this, but not to the degree that FF7 does. 1,2,3,4,5,6 and 9 are very different from 7,8,10,12 and 13 and it is all too common for people to love one group and despise the other. FF9 plays like the earlier games but feels suprisingly like the newer games, so if it is your basis, you'll be more likely to be able to enjoy all the games in the series to their fullest.

 

[StriderShinryu]

4 and 6 (or 2 and 3 in their old North American naming) are the best in the series, and are both great entry points. They're also both sprite based so they don't suffer as much as from their age as many of the later entries do (they look classic as opposed to ugly).

FF8 is actually pretty good too, but it's mechanics are a bit different than found in most FF games so if you're looking for an entry point to the series you might find it entertaining but not the greatest representation of what you'd see in other FF games.

Also, a good intro to some FF series ideas without jumping totally into the FF games whole hog is Final Fantasy Tactics. It's an incredible turn based strategy game that you can't miss and may be a good foot in the door of the series if you happen to already like strategy games.

I would not suggest:
FF5 - The story is quite poor compared to the others in the series, and the free form job system isn't something you find much of in other FF games so it's a poor choice for an entry game.

FF9 - I know some people love it, but I couldn't stand it mainly due to it's (IMO) terrible art style and forced feeling throwback design. At this point if you're going to play a throwback FF, just play one of the better older games.

FF7 - Yes, it's a classic.. but it also hasn't aged very well. Due to the hype you surely couldn't avoid even without playing FF games before, your expectations may be unfairly high for this one. I would definitely recommend playing FF7, but leave it until you've developed more of a taste for the series and can possibly appreciate where it stands compared to it's kin and it's place in history.

 

[Snarky Username]

Snipity McSnip-Snip

I never had any glitches at all when I played FFIV advance, but maybe I was just lucky. As for the graphics, it's not really fair when you're accusing of a sprite based game of not having good graphics when compared to a 3D game. I just think that the DS version had less to offer than the advance version, and what it did have to offer was overly complex just made the game harder.